When Jimmy Haslam’s Cleveland Browns drafted QB Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round, many cried owner interference. Browns GM Andrew Berry denied that claim after the draft—well, sort of. When asked if Haslam, the team owner, “encouraged” him to make the pick, he said, then repeated, “Jimmy lets us do our jobs”.
But what if part of Berry’s job as Browns GM is to listen to what Jimmy Haslam tells him to do? Strictly speaking, the ownership had the ultimate authority in every football team, even if not all choose to use it.